Spay Day

I'm a little behind on posting and I don't have the camera today to include any pictures in my updates. Today is a very exciting day though - today is spay and neuter day at the SPCA for all of our kitties! I'm not sure that they're as excited as we are, but just by fixing these cats we're preventing thousands of unwanted kittens from being born. Also headed to an appointment at the SPCA today is Simba, or Lion King as he is also known. Lion King is the property cat at Barclay where Mama and her kittens were found. Lion King is a beautiful orange cat, and he really prefers to live outside. Fortunately for him there are 3 or 4 families who like to feed and care for Lion King. We're pretty sure that he didn't father any of Mama Girl's litter, but he won't be fathering any litters after today, that is for sure.

Travel Plans

JAS will be going to India in January. More details to come!

Cash heads to his new home

Great news everyone - we have our first adoption! Cash is headed home with Shane, a contractor doing some work at the apartment complex where the kittens were found. Shane tried catching the kittens himself, but was unsuccessful. When he found out that the kitties had been caught, he was excited to take one home. Cash will join Shane's bustling household which includes three other cats (one with some special needs), a rat, and a bunny. The rat and bunny are in cages. ;) Way to go Cash! See the pic on the left - that's Cash making a break for it - living up to his name! Tonite he will sleep in his new forever home.

My how they grow!

I can't believe how much bigger the kitties get EACH DAY. Today they were a little more comfortable with me, and lots more playful with each other! By the way - I'm pretty sure we have 3 boys, and 3 girls.

Chow time!

Photos starting from the top: Loki gets spoonfed. A post-meal nap. MamaGirl surveys the scene as all of her babies eat. Trixie poses for a photo. And bottom - the cutest - is little Loki.

Today was an exciting day as we were able to spend more time playing with the kittens. We got to see more of their personalities. We handled each kitty, and Chris wiped them all down with baby wipes as they were a little scummy from the big party they threw in their cage last night.

I mentioned in a previous post that we've named a few of our charges. We're calling the black kitten Loki, after the Nordic god of mischief (or so CDW says). We were a little worried about Loki yesterday because he was having some digestive trouble. He is also the runt of the litter, and seems like a little bit of an outcast. Today he was really playful, trying to catch Mama's tail, and eating like a champ.

We've named another of the kittens Cash. I didn't get any good close-ups of him, but Cash gets his name because he is all about busting out - of boxes, cages, you name it. I suggested naming Cash Folsom (as in Folsom Prison Blues), but we settled for Cash in honor of the Man in Black. We really hope that a few people get this allusion. Cash was the most precocious kitten when we were trying to catch them. He would come the closest to me, and venture farthest from the car. I thought for sure he would be the first we would catch, but it didn't work out that way.

The kitties discovered toys today. We gave them 4 balls with bells, and they had a lot of fun playing with them. We had fun watching them because they are still discovering their motor skills. They are eager to play, but sometimes forget to move their back feet (which get stuck in the carpet because of their little tiny claws).

What are we up to when we're not cleaning up after kittens? Sushi (my mom) arrives tomorrow! We had to get serious about cleaning up the guest room, which has been our catch-all for quite a while now. I'm proud to say that the bed has been cleared off, and you can actually see the rug!

We have some exciting leads for homes for these little guys, so thanks to everyone for putting out the word. I hope to soon report that we've found our first forever home! Now it's time to get in a quick workout, whip up some dinner, and do a little bit of work. More updates to come soon.

Poot. In a Basket.

Goin' to the Vet's Office

5 of the kitties settling in to their new digs. Only the one little black kitty is missing here. That one seems to be a loaner. We decided on a name for him and a few others today. Perhaps we will announce all of the names tomorrow!
Jody worming. That was fun.

MamaGirl relaxes after a very stressful day.

Today we took MamaGirl to the vet. They thought she was a sweet thang. She weighs around 10 pounds, so she is very lean. They estimate that she is 1-2 years old. She was given a clean bill of health. FeLV and FIV negative - woohoo! We got her distemper and rabies shots, wormer and frontline treatments, and some ointment for the wound on her back leg. All that's left for Mama is a spay.

We also took one of the kittens with us. The vet estimates that the kittens are 8 weeks, and the one we took is 2 lbs. After our appointment we headed to the pet store for a few more supplies, then set about making a better housing situation for the kitties. We cleaned up a few of their messes, and decided to use a big doggie crate as the new kitten cage. The vet suggested that separating MamaGirl from the kitties would make life less stressful for Mama. The set-up we have now has all of the kitties safely contained in the cage with a snuggly, litterboxes, food and water, and MamaGirl can lay next to the cage if she likes, or further away to take a nap or watch them from afar. She seems to like this arrangement.

We are looking for forever homes for all of these little guys, so if you know anyone who is interested in a cat or kittens, please share this blog and my contact information with them.

Barclay 7

The black kitty is feisty! He was very protective of his little sibling.
Kitty #3.
MamaGirl. She is my fave. She is the sweetest.
There are no words. Cute-ness meter is off the charts.

We have cats coming out of our ears!! Ok - not really, but it feels that way. Chris recently discovered a mama kitty (to be known now as MamaGirl) and her litter of 6 kittens at one of his properties. They've been hanging around one specific car, and any time someone gets too close, they were crawling inside the fender/engine/insides of the car. You can imagine how worried we were that the owner of this car would suddenly appear and want to go somewhere! I didn't have any luck catching these little guys, but my stud of a boyfriend took care of business today. Christopher was able to pop the hood of the vehicle, then reached right in to scoop up four of the kitties. Then he chased and caught the remaining two. My boyfriend is fast!

MamaGirl, who was caught earlier in the day before the kittens, seems relieved to have all of her little babies back again. We think they're around 4 weeks old, and still probably weigh less than a pound. That will change after a few days with food! They're sleeping indoors tonite, safe and sound with bellies full. This weekend we will start worming and get MamaGirl a vet appointment - she has a few scrapes and bumps. We're looking forward to watching these little guys grow, and of course finding them fantastic forever homes. If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting one of these little guys, please contact me ASAP.

The Beginning of the End of Our Summer

I can feel our summer ticking away now. It's not just that we've entered August - today I will present my Fellowship project to Mayor Dixon. We're starting to gear up for the entering class of interns at UMD. The Ravens play their first preseason game this Thursday. Summer is closing.

Maybe summer feels like it has passed us by because we've been working so hard on getting our living space in order. For those of you who are curious, progress continues. My mom arrives for a visit next Monday, which means that we're having to address the guest room, which has been functioning as an attic for us. Perhaps some photos will be in order in the next week or so.

Also of note is Restaurant Week in Baltimore. Friday night we had a delightful meal at B in Bolton Hill. We had never been, but our experience Friday will definitely have us going back for more! Later this week we'll be trying the Elkridge Furnace Inn, and my week and Fellowship will close out with a dinner at a Baltimore institution, The Brass Elephant. Yummy. Better keep up with my yoga and running this week.

A Very Exciting Weekend

I got the toy AND I look like a scary cat - BOOYAH!
C'mon Dad - just throw it!
Caele chases ball.  Jackson chases Caele.
And they're off!
Jackson with the ball hanging out of his mouth.

Last weekend was pretty busy.  Friday night we took advantage of $6 Orioles tickets for students.  The Red Sox were in town, so it was a pretty crazy game.  A group of my friends from my MPH program joined us - what fun!

Saturday the Baker's invited us to join them for a wine tasting at Woodhall Winery, near the Pennsylvania border.  We enjoyed 14 great wines, good company, and tasty munchies.  We also accomplished some furniture shopping that day.

Sunday we took the doggies to the dog beach in Annapolis.  It was great fun!  The dogs slept for two days after that trip.  Sunday evening we hosted some friends for dinner.  Phew!

We are staying busy now with the wrap-up of my Fellowship (I present to the Mayor on Monday), and Chris's job which always keeps him busy.  We also have some tasty adventures on the horizon with Restaurant Week starting soon.